Mara Karetsou

A girl who was born in Larissa with a thousand dreams for the world of art, Mara Karetsou, is a Greek sculptor who reached her zenith in America. After the patron of the art scene, Alexandros Iolas, discovered her in Paris, she made her first exhibition in New York and became internationally acclaimed. New York City, the centre of the world and art, became her second home. Later on, she ran for Congress and got very close to the White House. She was awarded the golden key of the city of Athens, and was named Goodwill Ambassador for Greece, after 30 members voted for her and fought for the Macedonian issue.

She studied Sculpture-Ceramics-Marble and Art History at the School of Fine Arts and was appointed, after a competition, to the National Technical University of Athens in the field of plastics.

Bold as she was, she was found herself in Paris during the 70’s, when for women back in Greece the idea of a career abroad was unimaginable. Everything there was inspirational, and pushing her to find new ideas in art, new forms, new dimensions and recognition came with her first exhibition in Paris at Gallery Paul Facchetti.

Each one of her artworks reflects an era. Her new creations, as well as her large sculptures, have abstract forms and are painted with the colors of the iris, simply enchanting.

We can find Mara’s artworks in the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, in the National Gallery of Athens, in the Vorres Museum, in the Kennedy Center, in the White House collection, with the portrait of President Bill Clinton, in the Niarchos collection, in the Hammer collection, in Tokyo Art Poin Thyssen, at Touquet France and Palazzo de L’esteline.

In hindsight, the life of this important Greek artist may seem like a beautiful fairy tale, but the difficulties and obstacles she faced were enormous.

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Antigoni Lymperopoulou – Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments

Mara Karetsou teaches us that it takes great struggles and love for what you create, to succeed. Luck is knowledge. She has a motto: Faith. Believe in yourself and your work. She inspires us because she is a woman who never stops responding with excellence to all the challenges of life and makes us proud with the greatness of her talent and her international recognition.

Mara Karetsou is a Visual Artist – Sculptor